79-year-old woman killed by PMPML bus inside Hadapsar Gadital depot in Pune

A bus of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) ran over a 79-year-old woman inside the Hadapsar Gadital bus depot in Pune on Thursday morning, October 29. The woman died. Police have detained the bus driver and registered a case against him.

The deceased has been identified as Kamalabai Dadu Londhe, a resident of Camp. Her son, Surendra Londhe, filed the complaint. The accident occurred at around 11.45 am. Driver Tushar Devidas Kamthe has been detained by Hadapsar police.

Senior Inspector Hemant Patil said Londhe was standing inside the depot premises when a speeding bus travelling from Hinjewadi to Bhekrai Nagar hit her. She was trapped under the bus. People nearby rushed to the spot, pulled her out and took her to Sassoon General Hospital. Doctors there declared her dead before treatment could begin, as her injuries were very serious.

The death has caused anger among residents. Shiv Sena's Pune city chief Pramod alias Nana Bhangire said the bus belonged to PMPML's Bhekrai Nagar depot. He alleged that lives had been lost in similar accidents earlier, but the transport corporation had not taken enough steps to prevent them. He asked how many more people would have to die before the administration woke up, and whether PMPML had any control at all over drivers engaged through private contractors.

The accident has also drawn attention to traffic at Hadapsar Gadital chowk. Residents say congestion is growing because of PMPML buses, heavy vehicles and an unauthorised autorickshaw stand by the roadside. They allege that bus and autorickshaw drivers often break traffic rules and that traffic police do not act strictly. Buses leaving the depot add to the jams, and vehicles get entangled and stuck at the chowk. People have demanded that the signals at the chowk run for at least 10 seconds so that traffic is somewhat better regulated.

Traffic officials said bus drivers are regularly told to follow the rules and that action is taken as soon as a complaint is received. They added that if any driver is seen breaking the rules, the traffic police should take legal action against that driver.

The accident came just 10 days after another serious accident on the Gadital-Saswad Road, near the gate of the Gliding Centre. In that case, a PMPML bus allegedly hit a young woman from behind as she rode a two-wheeler. She suffered serious leg injuries and her leg had to be amputated. She had been preparing for police recruitment.

Local residents and political representatives allege that PMPML drivers continue to drive carelessly despite repeated accidents, and that neither the PMPML administration nor the traffic police has fixed accountability on anyone.